The Florida Senate

938.29  Legal assistance; lien for payment of attorney's fees or costs.--

(1)(a)  The court having jurisdiction over any defendant who has been determined to be guilty of a criminal act by a court or jury or through a plea of guilty or nolo contendere and who has received the assistance of the public defender's office, a special assistant public defender, or a conflict attorney shall assess attorney's fees and costs against the defendant at the sentencing hearing and shall determine the appropriate amount and method of payment. Such costs may include the cost of depositions; cost of transcripts of depositions, including the cost of defendant's copy, which transcripts are certified by the defendant's attorney as having served a useful purpose in the disposition of the case; investigative costs; witness fees; the cost of psychiatric examinations; or other reasonable costs specially incurred by the county for the defense of the defendant in criminal prosecutions within the county. Costs shall not include expenses inherent in providing a constitutionally guaranteed jury trial or expenditures in connection with the maintenance and operation of government agencies that must be made by the public irrespective of specific violations of law. Any costs assessed pursuant to this paragraph shall be reduced by any amount assessed against a defendant pursuant to s. 938.05.

(b)  Upon entering a judgment of conviction, the trial court shall order the defendant to pay the costs assessed by the court in full, or within a time certain as set by the court, after the judgment of conviction becomes final.

(c)  After assessment of the application fee under s. 27.52(1)(c) and attorney's fees and costs, the court shall order the defendant to pay the attorney's fees and costs in full or in installments, at the time or times specified. The court may order payment of the assessed application fee and attorney's fees and costs as a condition of probation, of suspension of sentence, or of withholding the imposition of sentence. All fees and costs may be assessed under one judgment.

(2)(a)  When payment of the application fee and attorney's fees and costs has been ordered by the court, there is created in the name of the county in which such assistance was rendered a lien, enforceable as hereinafter provided, upon all the property, both real and personal, of any person who:

1.  Has received any assistance from any public defender of the state, from any special assistant public defender, or from any conflict attorney; or

2.  Is a parent of an accused minor or an accused adult tax-dependent person who is being, or has been, represented by any public defender of the state, by any special assistant public defender, or by a conflict attorney.

Such lien constitutes a claim against the defendant-recipient or parent and his or her estate, enforceable according to law, in an amount to be determined by the court in which such assistance was rendered.

(b)  Immediately after the issuance of an order for the payment of the application fee and attorney's fees and costs, a judgment showing the name and residence of the defendant-recipient or parent shall be filed for record in the office of the clerk of the circuit court in the county where the defendant-recipient or parent resides and in each county in which such defendant-recipient or parent then owns or later acquires any property. Such judgments shall be enforced on behalf of the county by the board of county commissioners of the county in which assistance was rendered.

(3)  The board of county commissioners of the county wherein the defendant-recipient was tried or received the services of a public defender, special assistant public defender, or appointed private legal counsel shall enforce, satisfy, compromise, settle, subordinate, release, or otherwise dispose of any debt or lien imposed under this section. A defendant-recipient or parent, who has been ordered to pay attorney's fees or costs and who is not in willful default in the payment thereof, may, at any time, petition the court which entered the order for remission of the payment of attorney's fees or costs or of any unpaid portion thereof. If it appears to the satisfaction of the court that payment of the amount due will impose manifest hardship on such person or his or her immediate family, the court may remit all or part of the amount due in attorney's fees or costs or may modify the method of payment.

(4)  The board of county commissioners of the county claiming such lien is authorized to contract with a collection agency for collection of such debts or liens, provided the fee for such collection shall be on a contingent basis not to exceed 50 percent of the recovery. However, no fee shall be paid to any collection agency by reason of foreclosure proceedings against real property or from the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of real property.

(5)  No lien thus created shall be foreclosed upon the homestead of such defendant-recipient or parent, nor shall any defendant-recipient or parent who is ordered to pay attorney's fees or costs be denied any of the protections afforded any other civil judgment debtor.

(6)  The court having jurisdiction of the defendant-recipient may, at such stage of the proceedings as the court may deem appropriate, determine the value of the services of the public defender, special assistant public defender, or appointed private legal counsel and costs, at which time the defendant-recipient or parent, after adequate notice thereof, shall have opportunity to be heard and offer objection to the determination, and to be represented by counsel, with due opportunity to exercise and be accorded the procedures and rights provided in the laws and court rules pertaining to civil cases at law.

History.--s. 3, ch. 63-410; s. 7, ch. 67-539; s. 1, ch. 72-41; s. 1, ch. 77-264; s. 2, ch. 77-378; s. 10, ch. 79-400; s. 8, ch. 80-376; s. 1, ch. 83-256; s. 2, ch. 89-129; s. 142, ch. 95-147; s. 2, ch. 96-232; s. 7, ch. 97-107; s. 22, ch. 97-271.

Note.--Former s. 27.56.